Air cleaner



Jan. 18, 1927. v 1,614,897 A. PETER, 3 D

AIR CLEANER Filed .May al 1925 W/ TNESSES /N VEN rafa @WM @by D MMM @www7A@ W Patented Jan. 18, 1927.

lUNITED STATES ARMISTEAD PETER, 3D, 0F WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

AIR CLEANER.

Application led May 8, 1925. Serial No. 28,&18.

This invention relates to air cleaners and more particularly to thattype of air cleaner used in connection with internal combustion engines.

The advantages of, eliminating dirt or other solids from the airsupplied to an internal combustion engine it vtoo well known at thistime to warrant description. Tests have shown that as high as 90% of theso called carbon deposit formedV4 in the cylinders of this type ofengine consist of small particles of dirt ory dust which were present inthe air drawn through the carburetor in forming the explosive charge.

`The eii'ort to eliminate -foreign substances'v from this air hasresulted in twov distinct forms of cleaners, namely; centrifuga-lcleaners or those in which the air is subjected to a whirling motion inits passage to the carburetor so as to cause any dirt or the like to beseparated from the air by centrifugal force, and iilters in which theair is passed through or by a iiltering material through which the dirtcannot travel. In one type the dirt is not removed as efficiently asdesired. and in the other there is a tendency to clog up and resist thepassage of the air therethrough resulting in a loss of power in themotor.

An object of this invention is to provide an air cleaner for the purposeset forth which will remove substantially all solid material from theair passing therethrough and which at the same time cannot clog or offerresistance to such passage of air.

A further object is to provide an air cleaner for use in internalcombustion engines which will be simple and cheap to manufacture,-rugged in cfstruction and highly efficient in operation.

These' and other objects which will be obvious to those skilled in thisparticular art are accomplished by means of this invention, oneembodiment of which is shown for the purposes of illustration in theaccompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of a deviceshowing one embodiment of this invention. Fig. 2 is a verticaltransverse section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l and Fig. 3 is a similarview on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

The particular embodiment oi" this invention which has been chosen forthe purposes Y of illustration includes a chamber adapted to contain oilor any other liquid to which dirt or other solids will adhere whenbrought into contact therewith. This chamber is so formed that vibrationof the engine in connection with which it is used, or movement of thevehicle which the engine .drives, will cause a certain 'splashing of theoil so as to provide an oil"tilm upon the walls which enclose an airspace above the level ot the oil. An air inlet and an air outlet areprovided and the stream of air passing through the chamber from theinlet to the outlet is so controlled that any solids contained in theair are brought into contact with the oil film'and adhere thereto, theclean air then passing out of the device to the associated apparatus.

The illustrated embodiment of this invention includes a chamber 4provided with an oil well 5 in the bottom thereof, and sloping walls 6above the well. The upper open end of the chamber is provided withthreads 7 for securing it to a closure member 8 which extends downwardlyinto the oil contained in the chamber.' As illustrated, the closure isin the form of a cone 9 whose tip is submerged beneath the level of theoil, and the sides, of the cone 'are provided with suitably shapedflanges or vanes 10 which extend into the air space 11 within thechamber above the oil.

A curved 4air inlet 12 is provided for admitting air through the closureinto the air space 11 through an opening 13 which is suitably formed inthe inner end of the inlet and preferably at one side of the air space11.r Preferably, and as shown, the opening 13 extends below the level ofthe oil or other liquid contained within the chamber. An air outlet 14,which may be similar in form to the inlet 12, provides a passage for theair from the chamber to the associated carburetor or other device.

-The inner end of the outlet 14 is provided the engine operates, willcause the oil or' other liquid to splash within the chamber so as toform an oil film on the sloping Walls thereof above the oil well, andalso form such a film upon the vanes l and the walls of the inlet andoutlet adjacent their respective openings 13 and l5. The curved airinlet causes a sudden change in the direction of the air stream enteringthe chamber so as to throw the dirt or other solids entrained in suchstream into Contact with the oil hlm upon the walls ot the varA riousparts around the opening 13 and also directly downwardly into the oilwell. l'n passing from the inlet to the outlet the air stream is socontrolled by the vanes l0 that the dust or the like is brought intocontact with the oil film upon these vanes and upon the adjacent Wall ofthe chamber, and in passing outwardly through the opening l thedirection ot' the air stream is again suddenly changed so that any dirtremaining therein is brought into contact with the oil` film formed uponthe adjacent parts. llhe air outlet is, of course, connected directly tothe inlet of an associated carburetor or similar device (not shown).

rlhe `oil or similar liquid constitutes an elective means for holdingthe dirtbrought into contact therewith and preventing its passagethrough the device with the air. Any suitable form of liquid to whichsolid material will readily adhere can be used. The oil whichconstitutes the iilm is con tinually drained baclr into the oil well 5and the walls and van-es are continually being supplied with fresh oilfrom the well which is splashed up onto these parts by movement oit thevehicle or by vibration et the engine itselt1 rlhe sides of the chamber5, o-il Well and other parts will vary in accordance with th design andsize of the associated enginee lt be found most neiges? advantageous toform the outwardly Haring Walls 6 almost horizontal and provide sucientoil tojust cover the outwardly Haring part. In this way the maximum oilsurfzfices provided by using a minimum volume' O O1 rlhe oil containingchamber can be readily detached from the rest of the device for thepurposes of cleaning and supplying fresh oil thereto, or, it' desired, adrain opening, closed by a plug, can be provided at the bottom of thewell and' a iiller opening and plug, formed ina convenient part of thechamber above the normal level ot the liquid so that the device can bedrained and flushed and have fresh liquid provided without removing thechamber.

Although l have described a specific embodiment of this invention, itwill be obvious that K,various `modifications, additions, substitutionsand omissions vcan be made therein without departing from the spirit otthis invention or the scope ot the appended claim. i

What ll claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

An air cleaner including in combination an oil containing chamberprovided with outwardly flaring walls, a closure tor said chamberextending thereinto, a curved air inlet 'in said closure, an air outletand varies on said closure extending into said chamber fordirecting astream ot air t rough said chamber in a circular path so as to causesolids' carried by said air to be deposited in said ln testimonywhereot, l havehereunto subscribed my name this th day April, 1925.

